Air Training Officers were specially selected commissioned officers who served as surrogate upperclass cadets at the United States Air Force Academy

United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy is an accredited college for the undergraduate education of officer candidates for the United States Air Force. Its campus is located immediately north of Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States...

.

Establishment of the Air Force Academy

The original Air Training Officers were commissioned junior officers who served as a surrogate upperclass for incoming cadets before there were actual upperclass cadets to conduct training and oversee the Cadet Wing.

Admission of Women to the Academy

In 1976, the ATO program was revived in a modified form when women were allowed to attend the Air Force Academy. The Academy brought in a number of female junior officers to learn about Academy life and act as surrogate upperclassmen specifically for the new female cadets.

Before taking on their roles, the new ATOs underwent survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE

SERE

SERE is a military acronym for Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape, a program that provides military personnel, Department of Defense civilians and private military contractors with training in evading capture, survival skills and the military code of conduct...

) training, physical conditioning, various airmanship

Airmanship

Airmanship is skill and knowledge applied to aerial navigation, similar to seamanship in maritime navigation. Airmanship covers a broad range of desirable behaviors and abilities in an aviator...

 programs, field training at Jacks Valley and audited academic courses. Special counseling courses enabled the ATOs to help women cadets with potential personal problems.

External links

• AFMC General First to Introduce Women to AF Academy Life, AFMC Public Affairs article